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The critical phase, however, is before that, in an early phase in the adoption life cycle of a new product, known as the innovation chasm [75]. Some of analysed cases show that in that phase, companies have to rely on more general support structures and have to be very proactive in searching for relevant information, networks or funding possibilities. It is mostly not the forestry sector but actors and programmes from agriculture (e.g., agricultural direct marketing associations and vocational schools in Austria), rural, regional or business development (e.g., LEADER regions in Austria and Wales; regional development in Finland; start-up grants from national support programmes in Serbia and Slovenia) or nature conservation (e.g., the Reforesting Scotland association; Austrian Nature Parks Association) that provide support [43–47,76]. In order to make an economic impact, innovations must spread and be adopted by other companies (diffusion). For this process, the formation of associations (of various interested actors) is highly useful—an institutional innovation which benefits itself from institutional support or from prior social capital [43,44]. From these 20 innovation case studies we can infer that the relevant institutional frame- works for NWFP businesses do differ across the European regions. We found that special attention on (specific) NWFP does exist in Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal) where some of these products have a strong tradition and economic significance, such as cork, pine kernels, pine resin, truffles or mushrooms. We furthermore found relatively strong general framework conditions for rural or regional development in other European countries (Finland, UK, and Austria). Moreover, in contrast to these western countries, the institutional structures for business support in rural areas in the former socialist countries in eastern and southeastern Europe are not so strongly developed yet [76–78]. However, in these countries, due to the rich tradition of using NWFPs innovativeness, the potential for these products is huge [77–79]. Thus far, the analysed IS around case studies showed that need exist to recognize the potentials of NWFP for reaching the strategic goals of a bioeconomy; most importantly with different focus on the region’s specific needs for each type of business in concern. These depend on the type of landscape, biological resource patterns, economic and demographic conditions and local types of land ownership. In order to meet their full potential in the bioeconomy, the relevant innovation support structures for NWFPs must become more open to more risky, more disruptive and complex innovations encompassing different policy spheres and sectors. The good examples in the analysed cases correspond to regionally networked innovation systems [51] or networked regional innovation systems [80] which, in other words, provide top-down support for bottom-up innovations [47]. They represent open and flexible support programmes and systemic structures for tailor-made support. Examples include various approaches such as specific regional support structures centred around NWFPs (regional marketing initia- tives) [81,82], nature parks or similar regional organisations or associations [43], or regional development agencies such as under the European Union LEADER instrument [42]. 5. Conclusions The potential contribution of NWFPs in bioeconomy, as illustrated in this paper, is so far mostly neglected, or insufficiently recognized by policymakers and forestry practi- tioners. This wide spectrum of possibilities could be considered in the first place in future forest management planning, when future objectives are set. In the second place, they must be considered in the forest bioeconomy strategies that should open up and support the creation of new value chains, other than those related to timber use. Rich and historical experience of the use of NWFPs in some countries, as in Mediterranean or Eastern and Southeastern Europe, could be used and developed further. In the creation of this enabling environment, various IS could be engaged, from different sectors or existing on regional levels. Fostering cross-sectoral interaction and the creation of diverse and targeted finan- cial mechanisms should be the main focus of future policies. Envisioning system-wide innovation support that cut across economic sectors and that extend along value chains is needed. In order to embrace all these possibilities, different ownership types should
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